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Preparation for work to provide step-free access to trains at Barnt Green station will get underway next week.

From Saturday 15 to Friday 21 February 2025, parts of the railway between Portsmouth and Havant and Fareham will be closed and rail replacement buses will be in operation, while Network Rail completes critical engineering upgrades to the railway.

From Saturday 1 February to Sunday 16 February, buses will replace trains between Guildford and Gatwick Airport while Network Rail engineers complete critical upgrades on the North Downs line for the continued safe and reliable running of the railway.

Network Rail and The Tree Council are aiming to plant thousands of trees in hundreds of communities across the country as their award-winning partnership is renewed for an additional five-year period.

Jamie Burles has been appointed as Network Rail’s first deputy managing director for the Eastern region, a newly created role to support leadership across four major routes.

Passengers are being urged to check before they travel between Taunton and Weston-super-Mare during the first week of February as Network Rail carries out essential structural repairs to a number of bridges, as well as vital track drainage work.

Aston Villa’s match against Scottish champions Celtic will bring thousands of fans into Birmingham, meaning trains and stations will be busier than normal on Wednesday (29 January).

Network Rail has finished delivering a replacement bridge that carries the junction of Downs Park Road and Bodney Road over the railway.